I grabbed my keys and said goodbye to the dogs, praying they wouldn’t get into any trouble (garbage cans) during the two hours I was gone. I stepped outside, taking in the late morning air. Today, like many others, I was about to venture on a unique journey: commuting between two different CT State Community College campuses, Tunxis and Manchester.

I started my car and set my music to shuffle. Ramblin’ Man, by the Allman Brothers Band began to play. I’d always felt a resonance to the lyrics. Before college, I dreamt of drifting across the country in a little old van, taking on odd jobs to make ends meet, exploring new places and meeting all sorts of strangers. I, too, was born a ramblin’ man. But tough luck getting that done in today’s economy.

So for now, drifting between two college campuses will have to do. Instead of New Orleans and Delta women this morning, I’m headed to Tunxis in Farmington for my Intro to Communication class.

After class I have a little time to stop by my house and check on the dogs. No garbage was eaten, thankfully! I spent a few minutes playing with them outside before heading back in to make lunch and get some work done. It’s a nice reset, helping me recharge before heading to Manchester to finish out my schedule.

It wasn’t originally my plan to be commuting between these two campuses. In fact, I didn’t know of the consolidation that merged Connecticut’s 12 community colleges into one CT State Community College until I met with my advisor for the first time to register for classes in late May. As she explained the new system – that I could take classes at any of the 12 campuses across CT – I may have waved it off as unimportant. I was pretty dead set on taking classes at Manchester.

Fast forward to late August, only a couple days before the semester began. I suddenly found myself questioning the program I had chosen and decided to switch to something else. However, this prompted a complete change of my schedule. But it was late, very late, to be signing up for classes, and the pickings were slim. I scrolled frantically through the course listings, my heart sinking at every sight of glaring red exclamation points and “FULL” in bold letters. Panic started to set in. What if I was stuck with a class I didn’t need?

Then, a lightbulb went off. With the merger allowing me to access multiple campuses, I realized I could broaden my search.

I adjusted the campus selection to include both Manchester and Tunxis, neither far from where I live in West Hartford. As I scrolled through the available courses once more, relief washed over me. There it was – just the class I needed. It felt like a small victory, and it was at this moment I realized how useful the merger could be.

Now that registration for the spring semester has opened up, I’m definitely keeping in mind the options I have. And I’m quite certain of my major now – Communication – so there’s no worry of making that mistake again!

To see all the Academic programs and which campus houses them visit https://ctstate.edu/academics/programs.